To Canaan Land
by foxmagic
Summary: A normal life…maybe that was too much to ask. Or maybe it was all a game for someone else’s amusement. Yeah…that would be just her luck. KMV
1. The Means to an End

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

Rating: PG-13/ Teen

Universe: Anime (Post-series).

_Italics: Thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decide doesn't belong in regular text._

**Disclaimer: I do not…I do…not. Geez, it's hard for me, okay? I do not own Trigun.**

**(A/N) **Hello hello! Lookie here, I actually wrote something that was neither Bleach nor Samurai Deeper Kyo. Amazing. But I must say that I was inspired. Yes, that's right. Inspired dammit! The first Trigun fic I ever read was a KMV (a pairing I am currently in love with). After that I went looking for more KMV or KM stories, finding some really good ones but noting that there were very few. With that said, I have to give credit to Faery Goddyss for pulling me over to the KM side!

Anyhow, this will be a **Knives/Meryl/Vash** fic. Why? Because I said so. And also because of the lack of KMV fanfics out there. Please do enjoy!

* * *

**;-Chapter One: The Means to an End-;**

_I want them to perish._

_I want this world to be reborn…_

_A new Eden –a place for my own kind…_

_No matter what, it will happen._

_It's only a matter of time._

_And time…_

_Is definitely on my side._

;-

Meryl pressed her face against the cool glass of the window. It was night, and everything outside was peaceful. From what she could see, the lanterns in town were still lit. There were some people wandering the streets, and others in the bar. Life went on…it would always go on. Even in this small town, life grew.

She decided that she liked it in this place. People surviving on their own –living with their own two hands. It meant there was hope for the barren land of Gunsmoke.

_An Eden…_

Meryl could no longer see outside. The window pane was foggy from her breath, and the lanterns were one by one being snuffed out.

_A foreshadowing…_

In the next room, Milly would be asleep. She would often dream of past days, of their journey, and of that one man who died before she even had a chance to say goodbye.

_A weakness…_

It was strange, Meryl decided, as her body fell back onto the bed. It was strange how everything had changed. It was strange how things had stayed the same. Finding Vash, trailing him, meeting Wolfwood, traveling together…

And now she and Milly waited. It was no longer _duty _or _obligation_ that held them. It was all about having faith…it was about what they had gone through together. It was about their beliefs and their promises.

"Damn it all." Meryl's voice sounded distant and cold in that dark room. "Damn it all to hell…"

;-

Early morning sunshine broke out over the dusty hills. The wind had picked up over night, causing a sand storm to begin. Tiny grains pelted the houses and buildings relentlessly. It was to this cheery sound that Meryl awoke. Sitting up, she noticed that her clothes from yesterday were still on. Not that she had much of a selection to begin with.

"Headache…" She muttered while stumbling around. Shower first, then breakfast. Soon though, the appeasing scent of food wafted in, tickling her throat.

Switch that around. Breakfast first, then a shower.

Milly smiled when the dark-haired woman came into the kitchen. "Hello, Meryl! Breakfast is ready!" Always the pleasant one in the mornings.

"Thank you."

The food was eaten without much conversation, except for Milly's occasional bursts of nonsense. Afterwards, Meryl went to take that shower she was dreaming of.

It all seemed so normal, so ordinary. It was easy to take for granted the ability to live, and breathe, and to wake up to the sunshine in the blue sky every day. But they did –everyone did. And that's the way things went. Everyone was comfortable with their lives…but what if things ever changed? It was certainly harder to cope to something new than to simply live a life you've had for so long. Maybe that's why Meryl and Milly found their new lives so refreshing. No more boring office work for them. A struggle for life is what they were faced with. Or…_had _been faced with. Sure, they weren't exactly doing office work now, but the situation had greatly calmed down since Vash left. It was unnerving, and neither knew what to make of it.

Meryl decided that she must be extremely bored for her brain to do so much thinking on the matter. It's not like she missed that idiot or anything…

"Moron." Yeah, that was a safe answer.

On the way out of the shower, she stopped to give her clothes a good washing. Then walking outside, she hung them up on the porch to dry. Hopefully the wind would die down and she wouldn't have to re-wash them. Such was her luck, anyhow.

A tune played itself upon her lips. Familiar…something she had hummed before.

For some reason, Meryl remained on the porch just a little while longer. Her eyes searched the desert beyond their little village. But there was only sand. An endless sea of it.

"Eh?" She squinted. There _was _something else out there. But it was hard to make out with all the wind and bustling dust storms. What was it? She couldn't tell.

Her legs ached. They wanted to run to meet that strange illusion that stood like a mirage out in the distance. But she could not budge. She could only wait while it moved closer.

_Always waiting…_

Suddenly her eyes widened. It was a person. Familiar…someone she had known, someone she _knew_.

No longer able to hold back, Meryl took off into the desert. She ran as fast as she could, to meet that person. Because she had been waiting…and could wait no more.

"Meryl?" Milly's questioning voice sounded in the background. But the shorter girl was too far out.

In only a few minutes, she had covered the distance intended. With a bit of a slide, her feet halted on the sand. And now she stood there, dumbfounded, while staring into the greenest eyes she had ever known someone to have. The stupid pin-haired, broom-headed, needle-noggin…was back.

He was back. Just like he said.

"Heya, Meryl!" His voice laughed heartily, as if nothing had changed.

That made her angry. How could he just come waltzing in as if nothing had happened? She took a good look at him. His red coat was gone and he appeared a bit worse-for-wear, but the guy still had his stupid smile. Some things, she guessed, would _never_ change.

Without warning, Meryl was pulled into a hug by said person. She thought about smacking him over the head, but decided against it.

"You're an idiot." Her words were muffled against his shirt.

"Yeah, but I'm so darn lovable!"

_That's_ when she hit him. "I…I was worried about you, you dolt!"

His smile returned. It felt nice to hear those words. Except for the dolt part, of course.

"Mr. Vash! Mr. Vash!" Milly was just now arriving on the scene. She burst into tears, throwing her arms around him. "You're back!" The tall girl lifted him off the ground, enveloping him in a big bear hug.

"Y-Yeah…nice to see you…too." Vash was having trouble breathing.

Meryl watched the two with an eased feeling in her chest, having no intention of aiding Vash in his escape from Milly's death grip. It was all too good to be true. They both thought they might not ever see the gunman again. He had been gone for so long…but he was here. He was here now, and she _had_ missed him.

"Meeeeryl! I'm hungry."

Her face took a look of mock annoyance. "You're always hungry."

"Come on, Mr. Vash! There are some leftovers on the stove!"

Milly quickly began to pull the pair back to the house and out of the hot sun.

;-

"Let me get this straight…you've been out there for months, and you say you were doing _nothing_?"

The three of them were sitting around the kitchen table, catching up. Meryl, of course, didn't buy his story for a second. He was such a bad liar. She couldn't believe he had been doing nothing for such a long time.

"Well…I did stop by this doughnut shop. The manager was really mean, but he-"

"Enough with the damned doughnuts, Vash!" She felt that headache coming back. "You had a reason for going out there. What about…_him_?"

His tone lowered a bit. "I took care of it. It's over…at least for now."

In his eyes, pain was still evident. He said the situation had been resolved…but for how long? What had happened out there while she had stayed behind? Meryl wanted to know, but she wouldn't push it. Things would become clearer with time.

And so their boring life took a small new turn. It was a lot more interesting having Vash there with his whining, and his love for all-things-edible. At least for now, the insurance girls were to stay by the side of 'Vash the Stampede'. Meryl supposed it was strange that they hadn't been re-assigned yet. Nothing major had occurred in nearly a year. No rumors of Vash's movements, or his destructive powers manifesting. It was all too quiet. And as she had taken note before, all too good to be true. But beggars could most certainly not be choosers, as the saying went. It was enough to live in this temporary peace. Things would soon change, after all. And until then, they would damn well make the most of it.

;-

Later that night, Meryl's eyes slowly opened to the sight of her room. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her face. It was probably sometime around mid-night.

"Great…I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap." The petite woman got up and shuffled out into the hallway.

A noise came from the kitchen, giving evidence that someone had gotten there before her. She could already guess who it might be. Sure enough, peeking around the corner revealed a very clumsy Vash. He wasn't having much luck maneuvering in the darkness, knocking first a chair over and then bumping his head on a pot hanging from the oven.

_Just what is he up to? Sneaking food, no doubt. _She thought.

To her surprise, Vash headed towards the front door. He hesitated only briefly before taking hold of the knob and disappearing outside.

_What? _Meryl walked to the door after it was closed. _Where is he going this late?_

She grasped the handle and turned it quietly, opening the door. Gazing off into the dark, she suddenly realized just how quiet things could get at night. And there was no sign of Vash, either. How could he have disappeared so quickly? Meryl took several more steps outside, looking around while doing so. It was quiet…almost like something would jump out at any moment…

"Meryl?"

"UWAAHHH!" She nearly fell backwards, her arms flailing wildly.

"Meryl, it's just me! Calm down!"

Her eyes focused on the shady figure in front of her. "…Vash?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. What are you doing out here so late?"

"What am _I_ doing out here? I'd like to ask the same question! I came out for a drink and saw you sneaking around."

"Heh heh." He scratched his head. "I needed some fresh air…"

"Uhuh. I'm sure."

There was a along pause before either of them spoke. But eventually, it was Vash who broke first.

"It's alright, go back to sleep. I'm just thinking, that's all."

"Vash…"

He smiled down at her, but his smile didn't look the same as it always did. His faced seemed to hold a trace of sadness. "It'll be okay."

Not quite sure of what he was talking about, she chose to simply leave it be. Sleep was coming quickly, anyway. The questions could wait till morning.

"…if you say so." Yawned Meryl. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Goodnight!"

After submersing herself back into the pitch-blackness of the house, Meryl paused to lean against the wall. Something didn't feel right. She could faintly sense a strange tug at her chest, as her heart beat wildly. _What in the world…?_

Vash cast a sidelong glance at the place where Meryl previously stood. He had heard her up, and waited for the woman's curiosity to get the best of her. But he couldn't tell her…he couldn't involve her any more than he had to. Both she and Milly had gone through so much already. No, this was _his _burden. It was _his_ responsibility. And that was how it was.

Facing the sand-filled wind, he headed out. Passed the bar, under the lanterns lit far later than usual, through the town so dead with early morning, and out into the desert. He was going to fulfill a promise, to keep his word to the very end.

_Rem…_

A small house rose from the dusty hills up ahead. Vash stifled a yawn and trudged on. Almost there. Maybe he could even take a nap. Once he reached the old building, the tired gunman immediately went inside to get out of the weather. He took off his coat and gloves, stretching as he walked along the creaky floor. Down the hall was a single door. Reaching out a hand, he pushed it open.

Vash stood still while the rotted door moaned, obviously opposed to opening quietly. Locking eyes with the man inside, he plastered on a smile.

The person looked up at the sudden intrusion and spoke, his voiced laced in sarcasm. "Well well. Finally back, brother? I was getting worried."

" Hello Knives…" His grin only grew wider.

**;-CONTINUED-;**

* * *

**(A/N) **Well, you might have guessed it already. This is my first Trigun fic, and therefore I might be a little rusty on the series. I have seen all of the anime, but only read part of the manga. So this story will be based on the anime (I plan on making a separate one for the manga-verse). I apologize in advance if I get any of the story facts mixed up. Heh heh… 

Thanks and please review!

**foxmagic**


	2. Finding Reason

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

_Italics: Thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decide doesn't belong in regular text._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.**

Reveiws!

**Ana**- Yes yes! I know what you mean. No matter how many KMV fics I read, I still want to read more. I'm addicted, I think. (lol) Anyways, here's another chapter for ya. I updated as quick as I could!

**Kritikos**- Ah! Thank you so much! I feel so welcomed now, it means a lot to me. It's kind of nerve-wracking to write for a new series. I'm glad that I have people to back me up! Oh, and I read A Glimpse of Eden not too long ago. Very excellent. I'd have to agree with you that it is one of the best!

**ReadingWhiz89**- Thanks! Yeah…I'm itching to go out and buy the manga for myself. I have a lot of series started already, so I'm kind of iffy about trying to keep up with yet another. But eh…maybe I can just steal it from one of my friends. That'll work.

**mangaqueen13**- You gave me an A? (heart heart). Not even my own teachers will give me an A! (lol) Well, I hope you like the next chapter, thanks for the review!

**Lunis**- Yatta! KMV and KM _is _the greatest! And yes, Faery Goddyss is one of my favorite authors. She's a great writer! Hrm…yeah. So I read your profile. We do have a lot in common! And it's awesome that you're a Christian as well. (heart heart). Thanks for reviewing my fic. I'd also like to ask you to help me keep this story in line. If there is anything amiss, don't hesitate to tell me, okay? Thanks!

Oh, and btw… (whisper whisper) I don't like yaoi either.

**Dante**- I see you read my profile. The answer is simple: I've had enough instances where people have bugged me about being a _Christian_ and liking _anime_ at the same time. It's as if the two could never go together because anime was 'evil', or some sort of nonsense like that. So yeah…my opinion on that is clearly stated. Anyhow, thanks so much for the review! I appreciate it.

**mickey-sin**- My one and only muse, oh how I love thee! Let me count the ways…(lol). Yeah, eventually I got to get around to sending you that SDK portion, plus that beta job I never finished on that FMA fic of yours. So sorry! lol…I love you!

* * *

**;-Chapter Two: Finding Reason-;**

"Get up, Vash! It's already past noon!"

Vash turned over in his bed, placing a pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block out the noise. "But I'm tired!"

"I don't care, get your lazy ass out of bed! While you sleep the day away, Milly and I have to go out and work to put food on the table."

He glared at her as she forced the door open. "I saved humanity from certain doom, doesn't that count for anything?"

"I'll be sure to leave room in my schedule for singing your praises later. But for now, get a job!"

He grumbled. "…meanie."

"What was that? I don't think I heard you right."

"I said…yes ma'am! Right away, ma'am!"

Meryl smiled sweetly at him and turned to leave. "Very good. I trust that you'll find something to do to keep you out of trouble. Goodbye then!"

Vash waited until he heard the front door slam shut. Then slowly he got up and went to get ready for the day. He was tired, but who could blame him? Days in this town, nights spent journeying out to that lone house a few miles away. It was inconvenient, sure…but it was the only way. It was the only way to keep everyone else uninvolved.

Right?

The more he thought about it, the more Vash began to wonder why he had come back at all. It would have been easier to stay away…it would have been better for all of them. It wasn't just his own faulty mistakes that he had to worry about now. Now he had an even bigger burden.

He went into the kitchen, still contemplating, when his thoughts were suddenly cut short. On the table sat a plate of freshly-made breakfast, along with a note from the insurance girls. Vash picked up the paper and read it silently.

_Good afternoon, Mr. late-sleeper! I hope you find your food before it gets too cold._

_Make sure to eat hearty, Milly made your favorite._

_Oh, and we'll be out for most of the day, so try not to do anything conspicuous. _

_That means no wrecking anything!_

_Signed,_

_Milly and Meryl_

Quietly, Vash put the note back on the table and sat down to eat. After taking one bite, he paused. "Still warm…"

Suddenly, it wasn't so hard to remember why he had come back.

;-

"Phew, what a day!" Meryl sighed and gathered her things. The sun was just now setting, and her stomach was telling her it was dinner time.

The bar she worked at had been strangely vacant today. Not that she minded, of course. It was a pain to be around all those drunken men sometimes, but the job was better than nothing. Still, the young woman was looking forward to a nice soft bed. Her feet ached.

"My kitty!" A boy's cry caught her attention.

Meryl looked down just in time to see a black ball of fur rush past her. Looking behind her, she saw a little child sitting on the ground, eyes filling with tears.

He cried out again. "My kitty! I let go…and he ran away!"

"Shh, it's okay." She knelt down beside him. "Would you like me to go get him for you?

"Yes! Yes please, mister!"

_Mister? _Her eye twitched. "Alright…I'll be right back then." _Stupid little…_

Standing to her feet, Meryl quickly followed the path the tiny cat had taken. How long could it take to retrieve one small kitten?

**Thirty Minutes Later…**

"Oh HELL no! Get down from that tree!"

"…meow."

"Grrrr, that's it! When I get a hold of you…"

Before she could sputter out the rest, the cat had jumped down from its branch, landed onto her head, and used her as a spring board to take off running again. Slowly Meryl raised a hand to her head, feeling the newly-made scratch in her scalp.

"Oh that's just great…" Her coat was promptly thrown on the sand in anger. "My day can't get any worse…"

She blinked dumbly when a dog came to sit by her.

"What the hell do you want?"

He barked and wagged his tail.

"Unless you can catch that stupid cat, I don't want to play with you. Go home."

Sniffing around her white jacket, he began to whimper.

"I thought I told you to go home?"

Meryl moved to shoo him away, when he swiftly took hold of her coat and sped off.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going with that? Bad dog!" She stumbled after the canine. "That's not a chew toy!"

He raced through the dusty roads and clear out of town, heading north. Meryl desperately wanted to go home, but she would absolutely _not _leave her coat to be torn to shreds. Not to mention the fact that her guns were in there.

No, absolutely not.

It was some sort of twisted game, she was sure of it. Every time she had to stop the dog would stop as well, taunting her with that evilly-cute face of his. But when her short legs managed to catch up to him, he would start running again.

Yes. Pure evil.

This went on for at least an hour, and Meryl was tiring quickly. "Okay…okay. Can't we call a truce?" She breathed heavily.

"Woof!"

"…ugh."

A gust of wind blew by them without warning, causing the dog to pin his ears back and drop the coat. Whimpering, he ran away with his tail between his legs. The poor thing sounded as though he had gotten a beating, by the way he hollered at the moon with those pathetic yelps.

Meryl sighed with a bit of relief as she went over to pick up her jacket. And that's when she noticed the house. The small building was nestled in folds of sand, dark and foreboding against the backdrop of the night time sky. She seemed oddly drawn to that place…

"A house? Way out here?" Her voice was caught on the wind. "Maybe they'll have a Thomas I can borrow to get back to town."

Not even thinking about the dangers of being so far from home, she headed to the building. Her desire to get back quickly clouded all thought as Meryl approached the backside of the house's wooden structure. It looked abandoned. There weren't even any lights on, not one single candle or lantern.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Her fingers rapped lightly on the window.

An eerie silence filled her mind and senses. It was almost too much. Why wasn't anyone responding? Didn't someone live there?

An abrupt thump caused the woman to bristle, instinctively moving a hand to her guns. Force of habit prompted Meryl to take one out, just in case.

"Hello…?"

"A little far from home, are we not?" A voice came from behind her.

She nearly screeched in surprise as she spun around, dropping a derringer in the process.

_What…_Meryl's eyes widened at coming face to face with a young man. He looked oddly familiar. Almost like…

_Almost like Vash…_

Her own voice was caught in her throat. She couldn't believe it. Could it be…?

"Knives…" She spoke barely above a whisper.

He smirked. And then bending down, he picked up her gun. "You shouldn't have something like this laying around. It's very dangerous. After all, you never know…" He pointed it at her. "…who's hands it may fall into."

Meryl couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Here she was, standing in front of Millions Knives. And suddenly, everything Vash had told her came into the light.

_He wants to destroy the human race…_

_He wants to create a new world…_

Knives' face broke into a twisted smile, and Meryl swore she could hear a faint voice in the back of her mind.

He spoke to her, eyes fixed on an invisible mark. "Give my regards to my brother, will you?"

And he pulled the trigger.

;-

"She's awfully late, Mr. Vash. Do you think we should go out and look for her?"

He glanced up at the tall woman, sparing her only a brief nod. "Yeah, something doesn't feel quite right. Perhaps we should…"

Milly stirred the boiling soup. She was definitely worried. It was out of character for Meryl to be so late. All at once, hundreds of possibilities swarmed into her head.

Maybe she was kidnapped…

Or maybe the boss had fired her, and she stayed to beg his forgiveness…

Or _maybe _a wild heard of Thomas came barreling through the bar, and squashed her like a bug!

Or maybe not.

"I'm sure everything will be alright. She's a tough girl, Mr. Vash! We're probably worrying over nothing."

"Yeah…"

A dull grating sound came from the door just as they were about to sit down and eat. Their eyes met momentarily as Vash stood to cautiously make his way over. Checking his gun first, he then proceeded to grasp the knob.

With one swift movement, the door was swung open. But Vash didn't expect what he saw.

"Meryl!" Milly shouted, all thoughts of soup and dinner now tossed out the window.

The small woman heaved in pain. There was blood all over her arm, and a clearly infected wound in her shoulder.

"Vash…" She crumpled against the wall.

Meryl remembered nothing else as the world faded into white.

**;-CONTINUED-;**

* * *

**(A/N) **Ah! Knives is so mean. Shooting her like that…how cruel. Vash is gonna have to teach him a lesson in manners! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please come back for the next one! 

And don't forget to review!

**foxmagic**


	3. Promises Kept

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

_Italics: thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decided doesn't belong in regular font._

'_Italics': Telepathy speak…er…thingy._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun. This is a work of FAN fiction. (Heh heh…fan…)**

Reveiws:

**orangesforbananas**- Thank you thank you! I appreciate the review.

**mickey-sin**- I am shivering in my non-existent boots. (lol) Yes yes, an update just for you. And believe it or not, I actually wrote more of that Furuba fic today. Go me!

**Ana**- Aw, your reviews are always so sweet. Thanks for the praise, I'm really glad you're enjoying this!

**Dante**- Yeah, tell me about it! Phooey to all those people (lol). Thanks for reviewing every chapter so far!

**AnimeWerewolf**- Arg! So you're finally reading one of my fics, huh? Maybe it's not so fair to recruit my friends to read my stuff. Heh heh…twittle…

**Lunis**- Ah yes, the animals. To tell you the truth, I just needed a really bad excuse to get her out there to that house. I must have gone through a dozen scenarios before deciding that this was the less complicated and more sensible route. Other than that…maybe Meryl just isn't an anime person (lol). Anyhow, about the correcting…I am mainly worried about OOC-ness and the like. So if you see any, point it out! Huzzah!

**ReadingWhiz89**- So you recommended 'Two Plants and a Girl' by Thunk, and I read it. Complete and most definitely wonderful! I think I read the whole fic in one sitting (lol). Thanks for recommending it. And I do understand about the confusion among fics. I do the exact same thing! There are actually several KM and KMV I am in the process of reading (and waiting for updates to). Among these are 'Roomates' and 'Silent Pretense'! It's weird having several plotlines running around in your head, but it's well worth it!

**

* * *

**

**;-Chapter Three: Promises Kept-;**

_What happened?_

_My mind feels fuzzy…_

'_Does it hurt?'_

_Yeah…_

_Yeah, it hurts._

'_You have no idea…'_

_What?_

'_You have no idea what real pain is.'_

;-

"Ah!" Meryl sat up so abruptly that it made her head spin. With a rough pant, she grabbed onto her shoulder. It hurt.

One hand still on the ache in her shoulder, and the other massaging her pounding temples, she attempted to regain lost bearings. It was evident that she couldn't remember something…but what was it?

The woman lifted her fingers from the pain on her arm, only to realize that she was bandaged from the top of her collar bone down past her shoulder. The smell of newly applied herbs and old blood still lingered nearby. And that must have been when it all came back to her.

Those cold eyes.

That murderous demeanor.

And the shot…from _her _gun, no less.

"That bastard tried to kill me!" Meryl's temper rose with every renewed memory. "He shot me with my own gun!" She cursed her fear from the night before. How could she have trembled like that in front of him? Granted, it was a little hard to feel courageous when you were face-to-face with perhaps humanity's greatest enemy…

Vash burst into the room along with Milly, before any more could be sorted out in her mind.

"Meryl!" He exclaimed. "I heard your yelling, are you alright?"

She blinked. "Yeah…sure."

"Oh, Meryl!" The shorter girl was enveloped in a big hug as Milly cried in her hair. "You're finally awake! I was so worried when you returned home all bloody! And then you came down with a fever too…you've been out for days!"

"Days?"

"Days!"

She squirmed under their scrutiny. It didn't really _feel _that long. But remembering anything passed that one night was becoming difficult.

Vash sat down next to her on the bed. "I'm glad you're alright. We already had a doctor come and remove the bullet. It looked worse than it really was with all that blood. Nothing vital was hit, which is a good thing. He said you might even be able to go back to work in a week! But you have to be careful not to over-use your arm."

"Hmph." She stuck her nose in the air. "I don't need a week."

"You should rest anyway. I can take care of you!"

Another migraine. "How about…no."

Milly decided to intervene. "Meryl…I don't want to be pushy, but what happened? Who shot you?"

There was a sudden silence. This is what the conversation had been leading up to. They wanted to know. Because for the first time in several days, she was awake.

"Well…I…" Merly didn't know if the truth would be a good idea. Would it spark another confrontation with Knives on Vash's part? That was the last thing she wanted. _Vash would be angry…_At that moment, she recalled the night he had been sneaking around outside. And it wasn't just then, he had been up every night ever since he came back. Back and forth…

Her hands clenched the bed sheets, rumpling them beneath sore fingers. _He…was going out to care for Knives. At that house in the desert… _It made sense now. That's why…

"Meryl" Vash called her back to reality.

"I don't know who shot me. I can't remember."

"You sure?"

"Yes." A straightforward answer for a very complicated situation.

Vash's expression grew thoughtful. He had been afraid of just who might have been behind this, and therefore pushed such an idea to the corner of his mind. But if she was unable to remember…then maybe he was right.

He prayed that it was only paranoia.

"Mr. Vash?" Milly watched him as he stood to leave. "Is something the matter?"

The cheerful man only smiled. "I have some things to take care of. Will you watch Meryl while I'm gone?"

"Okay then."

"Hey! I'm not a kid. I can watch myself, thank you!"

He flashed her a peace sign before disappearing behind a closed door. She sighed.

;-

Knives felt the anger and fear in his brother as Vash drew closer. It was amusing at the very least. He was worried about his human, and with good reason too. It would have only taken one slight flick of his wrist to land a bullet to her heart. Even with that poor excuse for a gun, she would have been dead. Vash never talked about them. He hardly mentioned their relationship to him, or the fact that he had come back _for _them. But Knives knew. He knew who they were, and hadn't forgotten.

How funny, it was. That he and his brother would be so different.

As if on cue, a loud 'slam' gave evidence to the arrival of Vash. His angry footsteps resounded off the old floorboards, marking his entire path through the small house. Until finally…

"Knives!" He hadn't bothered to knock, which was expected.

Blue eyes focused on the unruly intruder. "Can't I have any peace and quiet without you always bursting in here like a moron?"

"I didn't come here for a verbal sparring match. I haven't been back for a little while because I was too busy worrying over-"

"Over your little human friend." Knives finished, well aware of where this was going. If he was going to be lectured, it might as well be fun.

Vash stood with a look of shock, previously hoping that his worries were pure suspicion. Now though, it seemed like he was in fact correct.

Grabbing hold of Knives' shirt, he grew angrier. "You could have killed her, dammit! This isn't a game for your sick amusement!"

"Oh, but you're wrong. It _is _a game."

"Well leave Meryl out of it!"

"Then keep the filthy human away from me."

Vash pushed himself away. "I have a hard time believing that it was all coincidental. Nothing ever is with you."

He yawned, hiding well his sneer. But when his eyes focused once more, he was slightly surprised to find himself staring down the barrel of Vash's gun.

"I'm warning you, Knives. I won't hesitate to…"

He laughed, voice evil and mocking in its entirety. "You'll do _what_? Kill me? Go right ahead. Kill me, dear brother! End my threat once and for all."

"No." Vash's stance never wavered. "No more killing."

_No more…_

"Then you are going to have to live with the fact that you will _never _be able to stop me."

_No more…_

"Then I…" He wavered slightly. "Then I will keep on trying to help you. Until the day when you see things a little differently."

There was only a moment of silence before the air about them began to ring with a familiar echo.

;-

"Lunch for you, Meryl!" Milly called out joyously as she set a tray before her friend.

"Thanks. Sorry to make you wait on me like this."

"No problem! I'm happy to do it!"

Meryl picked at her food, not really paying attention, but rather thinking back to recent occurrences.

"Are you okay…?"

It was Milly again. She was staring at her with concern washing over her face.

"I'm…I'm fine."

The usually happy-go-lucky woman dropped her cheerful air as she sat down on a nearby chair. "Meryl, talk to me. We're friends…you can trust me."

"I just don't know." She exhaled loudly. "I don't know what to tell Vash. What am I suppose to say? 'Hey, your brother shot me for absolutely no reason. But don't feel guilty, he's only your sole responsibility on this god-forsaken earth.' It just doesn't work that way. I know he'll be hell-bent on getting some sort of apology out of him."

"Brother?"

Meryl took the cup of tea from off the tray and sipped it slowly, savoring its warmth. "Vash told me about him once. About this man called Knives. They're twins, him and Vash. Twins…brothers…and yet so different. While Vash wants to protect humanity, Knives wishes only destruction for us. He wants us dead. No questions asked."

Milly called to mind several times when she had heard that name discussed, but it all seemed so far away. The troubles seemed far from home.

But now…

Now they were so close to home.

"How someone could want that…how a single person could hope for the destruction of millions of people…" A pain formed in the pit of Meryl's stomach. "It's like a fairy-tale nightmare."

"…Meryl?"

She was shaking now. "I heard his plans. I heard what he wants to do. When I sleep, sometimes I hear his thoughts in the back of my mind."

"Mr. Vash won't let anything happen to us. Don't worry." Laying a gentle hand on her head, Milly tried to consol the girl.

Meryl let out a breath. _I know, Milly. But it's not us I'm worried about…_

_If only it were that simple._

**;-CONTINUED-;**

* * *

Thanks and don't forget to review! 

**foxmagic**


	4. Fate's Cruel Game

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

_Italics: Thoughts, emphasis, and any other random crap I decide doesn't belong in regular font._

'_Italics': Telepathy speak…er…thingy. _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.**

Reviewer response:

**Zephonia**- Thanks! I think my favorite comment to get is one that tells me everything is IC. I worry about that a lot.

**mickey-sin**- What can I say? You and I both know awesomeness when we see it. lol…I kid I kid. And it's about time you put up your own damn chapter. Nyah!

**AnimeWerewolf**- Yes, you are lazy. But I love you anyways. Heh heh…please do keep reading though!

**PRoyalAngel**- o.o …whoa there. Yeah…Knives and Meryl will meet soon. After all, this is a KMV. And huzzah to your review!

**Lunis**- Hehehe, your comments flatter me. I appreciate you sticking with this story. I hope it only gets better!

**Kabashka**- I love KMV fics too. Not enough out there.

**Kritikos**- Yay! (rejoices…lol). Thank you for your support. ;)

**ReadingWhiz89**- Ah…I have been away for the summer and haven't had the chance to catch up on your story (cries). But I will go check it out to see where you are at. Have you finished it yet? Hmm, I guess I'll have to go and see.

* * *

**;-Fate's Cruel Game-;**

"Ah…watch the shoulder, you idiot."

"Sorry!"

It was unbelievable. Purely and most utterly unbelievable. Knives grunted at the heat he felt as the bandage was wrapped a little too tightly around his new wound.

"The bullet…you took it out?"

"I think so…"

"What? How dare you toy with me! And how dare you shoot me for that matter!"

Vash stopped to give him a cold glare. "It's the only way I know how to keep you in line, Knives! I can't have you going around hurting innocent people! Why do you think I took away your gun?"

"You're still upset over the…" He cringed as a spike of pain shot through his arm. "…the stupid human. I didn't kill her, you should be grateful."

This set Vash back into deep thought. It _was _odd that he purposefully aimed for a non-lethal area. As he had speculated before, nothing was ever coincidental with Knives. There was a reason for everything, and everything had a reason.

So why?

"You can leave now. I no longer require your assistance." Knives dismissed him, eyes firmly locked on the door. It was his polite way of saying 'Get out. Now.'

Vash humored him for the time being, knowing all too well that there were things for him to do back in town. So with a bouncy step, he waved farewell.

"I hope you learn from this, brother." His tone was jesting, yet serious all the same. "I gave you the same injury you inflicted on Meryl. Maybe this will help you to understand better."

Their gazes did not meet.

"And above all, it is my warning to you."

;-

"I want out of this room! I want off of this bed! Let me go, dammit!"

"Meryl!" scolded Milly. "Is this any way to behave? Please calm down."

She fell back onto the soft sheets with an irritated gurgle. "I hate not being able to get up and go to work. There's so much to be done…and that bastard of a boss will probably have a million reasons to fire me by the time I return to the saloon."

"Why don't you just rest for a little while? You always work so hard, it's about time you had a break."

"No time."

Milly patted her head as she leaned down to put away the cleansing salve. "I suppose I'm going to be busy today too. What with the new assignment and all."

Looking over at her, while still fuming, Meryl managed a polite 'why?'

"The boss says I'm needed to help the city construction crew with cleaning up the town. And one thing in particular is that house to the North of here. Abandoned they say…maybe even haunted. I guess a few villagers were complaining about the weird noises coming from there. And the lights…"

"You don't say…" The dark-haired woman mumbled. _Probably Knives moaning about his injuries…ignorant prick._

Milly continued, unfazed. "So…I guess that means we'll be tearing down that old building today."

She nearly choked. _What!_

"Hrm…I've never done something like that before. I hope I can learn quickly."

Too busy with the sudden heart attack her friend gave her, Meryl didn't notice the fact that Milly had already said her goodbyes and left. _For crying out loud! Why would they do something so stupid? Stupid stupid stupid! If they even go near that house, Knives will kill them all! _Her feet hit the floor quickly as she hurried to get dressed. _Vash…I'll have to tell Vash…_

The process was a little slow-going because of her injured arm, but she somehow managed to make it out in a reasonable amount of time. After glancing about the dusty streets for a few minutes, Meryl concluded that the spikey-headed man must still be with his brother. She groaned.

"Heya, Meryl!" Milly called out. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm looking for Vash." She shielded her eyes against the sun.

"I haven't seen him all day. But you know…you really should stay ins-"

"No time." Meryl rushed passed her.

"But…"

Milly was halfway into following, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What are you doing? I don't pay you to stand around, you know."

She yelped. "Eh…yes sir!"

;-

_Damn damn damn…_Curses fell under her breath. She was taking a big risk going off on her own. But it couldn't be helped. There were lives to worry about, and she had no intention of sitting idly by. As Meryl ran, she could feel her body shake at the presence felt. Nearby…he was nearby. And it could only be hoped that Vash was there as well. He was the only one that could talk to Knives. While she came upon her destination, a prayer went up.

_Vash!_

He paused at the entrance to their make-shift home, fingers just barely touching the handle. Some one had called his name…

;-

"Vash?" The now timid woman crept around the side of the worn structure. "Vaaaash?" She whispered a bit louder.

No answer.

This was getting ridiculous. There was no reason why she shouldn't just go straight in and demand to see him. What was she sneaking around for? Surely it wasn't out of fear…

No. Certainly not.

So with a huff, Meryl stomped right up those steps and pushed her way inside. She blinked at the dust swirling in her face. It was quiet. There were no voices, no footfalls, and…no Vash. It began to occur to her that maybe she had been wrong. Nevertheless, Meryl stood her ground and decided to check the rooms. He could be sleeping….or eating. Most likely the latter.

She took another step further, peaking around corners and checking inside cupboards. The place seemed to be truly abandoned. Had Knives left? Had he…

'_Water…'_

Meryl froze. It was that voice again…

'_Water…'_

Slowly her head swiveled to the door at the end of the hall. It was coming from there. His voice…

'_Pain…'_

Pulled by something she could not explain, Meryl walked up to the room. She stopped. Her hands hesitated over the knob.

And she opened the door.

;-

"Hello there, Mr. Vash!" Milly waved to him from where the construction crew was gathered.

He cast a glance over his shoulder as she came up to talk.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Worried about something?"

"Meryl isn't in her room. Do you know where she might have gone? It isn't good for her to be out…"

"Um…well she was looking for you a little while ago. I tried to stop her, but she ran off that way." Milly pointed down the road a ways, out into the dune-filled wasteland.

"What?" Vash felt his pulse quicken.

"Yeah, she seemed a little upset after I gave her the news of my new job."

"New job?"

Nodding enthusiastically, she went on. "They plan on getting rid of some of the older buildings out here. We're even gonna build new houses for some of the people! And the first place to go is that rickety thing at the edge of town. No one is using it…so I suppose it's alright."

"Wha…!" Of all the things to go wrong at once…these two had to be the worst. Those people were about to walk into a trap. And he had a hunch Knives had something to do with it.

_But Meryl…_He was torn.

"Um…Mr. Vash? Are you alright?"

His hand reached up to wipe the sweat away. "We…really need to talk."

**;-CONTINUED-;**

* * *

**(A/N) **Sorry about the delay, I was away on vacation. But here is the fourth chapter. So I hoped you enjoyed it, and please review! 

**foxmagic**


	5. From Me to You

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

_Italics: thoughts, emphasis, etc etc._

'_Italics': Mind speak-ness_

**Disclaimer: I do not own…this. So there.**

**(A/N)** Why…hello there. You may not remember me. Heck, you may not even remember what the hell the story line was. Feel free to go back and re-read. I know I did. It's been quite a while, and my silence has stretched over many moons. But it was a necessary silence. School. Work (or lack thereof). And a brain freeze the size of Texas (everything is bigger in Texas). But I finally know where this thing is GOING. Thank God. Cause for the past four chapters, I didn't know what the fudge I was talking about. Could you tell? Anyhow…please enjoy this chapter! Yay!

* * *

**;-From Me to You-;**

Her eyes widened. This was not the same man that she remembered. This was not the same foreboding figure who dealt a blow to her shoulder. Now Knives lay in his bed, sweat practically dripping from every pore of his skin. His breath was heavy, and ever so often he would clench his jaw in pain.

'_Water…' _

Cold, blue eyes met Meryl's shocked face.

'_Water…'_

It was an unspoken command.

She felt her defiant spirit flare. Why should _she _be the one to do his bidding? Meryl Strife was no one's lap dog.

Knives broke their staring contest and rolled onto his side.

"……" Her cheeks puffed out. "Oh for crying out loud…" Meryl turned on her heels and went in search of water.

Through his delirium, he managed to smirk at her retreating form.

'Ruff ruff'.

;-

After fetching some cool liquid from the well outside, Meryl took a deliberately long time to return to the house. She couldn't exactly process the reason for Knive's state, but he did look rather feverish. Even so…what right did he have to order her around like that? And invading her mind, too! He was such an arrogant bastard.

She smiled, feeling slightly better.

Once inside, the glass of water was shoved firmly into his face. "Here." Meryl growled.

The now indisposed plant eyed her warily. But he did indeed take the forced offering.

There was a bit of silence following. Only brief rasps of breath managed to penetrate through the humid blanket of inner unrest. But Meryl had questions. And she sure as hell wasn't waiting around till the demolition team showed up.

"Why lure all these people out here when you're in this state? Don't you figure they get to you a lot easier this way?" She burst out.

Knives snickered. "I need not move to destroy them."

Wasn't too plausible. That would cause an uproar amongst the townspeople, no doubt about it. So then why the haphazard mayhem? Wasn't Knives usually articulate about these things? Her eyes strayed to an identical bandage over his arm. In the same place as hers, no less.

A smile crept up to her.

"Looks like you're suffering the after effects of another gunshot. I'm guessing you hadn't planned on getting so sick…you being a 'superior' life form and all."

Knives moved his head to pass her an angry glare.

The girl had called his bluff.

"Why you little…"

"Hmm, I guess there really was no need coming all this way then." Meryl shrugged. "So much for your talk of-"

Before she could sputter out the remainder of her sardonic taunting, the girl found herself being thrust against the rickety walls of that small room. She cried out in pain upon impact, and behind her the wood creaked and moaned, protesting the added weight. Meryl met the eyes of her attacker with a fortitude she wasn't all too sure existed. Inside, her mind was screaming.

"Don't you dare forget…" Knives spat out. "…how very easy it would be for me to kill you. Even weakened as I am…"

Meryl's last bit of resolve crumbled when she felt a hand reach out to grip her neck.

"Even without my gun…"

His hold tightened.

"Even like this…"

Admittingly, when the world began to spin, Knives had to push back and stumble over to his previous position on the bed. Rubbing her neck with her good arm, sputtering, Meryl observed his odd behavior. She supposed Vash didn't dress the wound properly. It was most likely infected. Not to mention that gun of his…

Meryl stumbled forward when she felt the floor tilt. It was then that she heard the rumbling, the shouting, the sound of people and of vehicles. _Shit…no, no!_ Within seconds, she was up on her feet and running out the door. Meryl faltered once more before making it outside. _Shit…Shit!_ A decent-sized demolition team surrounded the house, and one had to wonder how she had missed their arrival.

Meryl reached out, grabbing a hold of one of the workers. "Y-you can't destroy this house! Someone lives here!"

"Sorry, ma'am. Orders are orders."

"Orders?" She repeated. "Orders from who?"

He pulled away. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Dammit…" Rubbing her head in exasperation, Meryl turned right back around. She flung the door open and rushed inside, past the small kitchen, down the hallway once again, and into Knives' room. "Hey!" She kicked the bed. "Hey, get up! We got to go!"

When he didn't move, she leaned over to check his breathing. His breath was labored, but fairly steady. "And here I thought I'd gotten rid of you." Meryl hoisted an arm over her shoulder, the pain of her own wound spiking. "But of course, you fall unconscious right when they come to tear up the place. I bet you planned for that to happen, you obnoxious little-"

Rubble fell, barely missing her head. "…okay, less talk, more work."

The window was kicked out easily enough, but dragging a body out of it was of another issue altogether. _I hate you_. Meryl chanted. _I hate you I hate you I hate you_. All but throwing Knives out of the house, she jumped out after him. The noise of demolition, of men shouting and timber falling, escaped around the side of the old shack to meet Meryl; it taunted her. It seemed to say "Hey you…you hear this? This is the sound of your career flushing down the tubes. Oh, and don't forget…you're dragging the soon-to-be destroyer of humanity with you." To which of course, she might have protested, if it weren't only herself she was talking to.

And that confused her more than she wanted it to.

"Hey! You think you could help me a little? Walk! Stand! Do _something_."

No response. It was probably for the best, anyways.

Meryl decided then and there that she would settle for dragging the bastard to someplace of the shelter-type, then ditch him, skip home, and take a nice long bath to scrub away all the excess evilness that may have rubbed off on her. It wasn't like she cared what happened to him. Wouldn't the world be better of if he were dead, anyhow?

Exactly.

;-

"My god…" Meryl heaved, slumping against the nearest wooden crate. She was tired. Very tired. So tired, she didn't even care to question the fact that they were now sitting in an abandoned shed in the middle of the desert. Who cared why the hell it was there. She had done her saintly duty, she had dragged that cursed man through sand and sun, and god dammit, she was tired!

Meryl stole a quick glance at her unconscious burden. That peaceful face was so deceiving when it wasn't contorted by some sinister thought, or evil smirk. His hair must have gotten a bit longer too. She was one to notice things like that.

"Now look, you." The woman turned to face Knives properly, as if he might be able to hear. "I've brought you somewhere quiet, so let's just call it even, okay? When you wake up, you can brood, or shout at the top of your lungs, or plot evil, evil revenge on me while I sleep. But I'm going home now." Standing up, she walked the short distance to the door.

Outside, the wind made awful 'whooshing' sounds (whoosh whoosh).

She blinked.

"Great…" Her hand slid off the knob. "Sand storm…" Meryl looked back at the sleeping Knives, sighing.

_God, I hope he's a morning person._

;-

"A dark haired woman, you say? Yeah, she was here. Tried to get us to stop the demolition."

Milly looked back at Vash, worry etched across her face.

"What did she say?" Vash asked.

"Said something about someone living there. But everyone knows that place hadn't been lived in for at least three years."

"And then?"

"And then she ran back into the house."

Vash blanched. "And you still tore it down!"

"Hey, orders are orders." The construction worker scratched his head. "Besides, I think I heard someone say that they saw her head out towards the east."

They thanked the man and sent him on his way to join the others. Meanwhile, thousands of scenarios were swarming around their heads. The more fantastical ones were getting stuck in Milly's brain

"Maybe it was a ghost!"

"I…don't really think –"

"Or maybe it was really Knives!"

"Well, that doesn't seem –"

"Or how about…"

"Milly!"

She quickly composed herself. "Well, Mr. Vash…what should we do?"

"Knives might have her…we can't take any chances."

"Then you're going after them?"

Vash shielded his face from the burning sun. He looked. He looked, but there was nothing but wasteland. Even so… "Yes. You coming?"

"Of course!" Her face brightened. "After all, how far could they get by foot?"

;-

"Eh…what's this?" A rough-looking man poked Meryl's sleeping form with his shoe.

Another man, his arms weighed down by crates, nodded towards Knives. "Dunno. Maybe they're here for the pickup too?"

"Who cares. Just throw 'em both in the truck and let's get out of here. The Sand Steamer shoves off in an hour. It ain't gonna wait for us."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say."

**;-CONTINUED-;**

**

* * *

****(A/N) **I wanted to say _thank you_ to you precious souls out there who emailed me, and reviewed about updating. I'm glad that this is enjoyable to read, and I'm glad you haven't given up on lil old me just yet. I haven't given up on this fic. Or_ any_ of my (not recently updated) fics, for that matter. It bugs me to no end when I don't update. 

It does, really.

Okay, I'm…going to shut up now.

**foxmagic**


	6. Six

**To Canaan Land**

Author: foxmagic

**Disclaimer: I do not own. Biznatch.**

**(A/N)** Ah! I'm so glad you put up that post, SiNicaLLY diSTuRbEd! I completely forgot about Knives' Day…D:

Sadly, I cannot think of anything good enough for a nice one-shot…but I've decided that in honor of this special occasion, I'm going to update my story. Yessir, you betcha. Lot's of wonderful plot-thickening, road trip-starting, KnivesMeryl goodness. Or at least a small bit.

Secondly, I have to say that out of every category I have written for, out of every different sort of anime or show -the Trigun reviewers kick everyone else's ass. Seriously, I don't know how you all do it, but reading your reviews always bring a smile to my face no matter how much my day sucked. Thanks a lot, really! I can only hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint!

Happy very belated Knives' day, all!

;-

Chapter Six

;-

It had been a good dream. Where Vash was quiet and well-behaved. Where she had finally been granted that promotion she knew she deserved, earning much needed respect, honor, money, and…

And Meryl yelped as she felt herself being kicked sharply in the leg. Blinking blearily, she felt the world shift as reality finally seeped in. Painfully, she might add.

"Get…" Someone rasped out next to her. "Get up…you stupid woman."

Her hopes deflated at the sound of that voice, almost dreading the focus of her vision on familiar blonde hair.

"Get up." He demanded again, but seemed to be pained in saying it.

Her next realization came as she took sight of walls, and a ceiling that certainly did not belong to any abandoned shack. That's when she leapt to her feet, clambering to get up, but finding it nearly impossible. Her hands and feet were bound.

"What -_what_?" She screeched. "Kidnapped again? How many god forsaken times-"

The last thing she remembered was settling down for rest while the sandstorm picked up. She had taken Knives there… Knives -her head swiveled over to eye him. He was in a similar state, if not worse off, and seemed to be having trouble breathing, possibly still sick from earlier. His eyes met hers briefly, and she had to force down a shiver. Just how sick? Sick enough to prevent him from invading her mind? To prevent him from torturing her? From killing?

Something whispered along her thoughts, ghostly and resolute. But before she could register what it was, he looked away and it was gone.

She was unsure of what he might do, but just lying there wasn't going to do either of them any good, so she quickly scanned the area while he remained unusually silent. Her efforts were rewarded when Meryl spotted a box cutter nearby, close enough to wriggle over to and grab with one barely-moveable hand. It took some doing, but eventually each rope was cut and she was freed.

That left you-know-who.

"I don't need your…your help." He stammered before she had a chance to pursue the thought. "I don't need a human's help."

She glared at him, even as he did the same to her. "Is that so…? From what I see, you're pretty sick."

"I am…not. I am still able to-" He strained, but the ropes wouldn't budge, head bursting into a colorful migraine. "Pain…" An utter.

And as much as she wanted to just leave him, there was no telling what he would do if their captors came back. The only thing she could do -the only possible route was getting him back to Vash. He'd know what to do.

"I'm going to cut your ropes, so hold still." She said, somewhat shakily. But to her credit, she put on a brave face. One by one they were tossed aside, and it was a tremendous relief that he was in too much pain to protest. That left their last obstacle -the door. Solid hardwood and sealed tight. No amount of tugging or coaxing was going to pry it open.

"Damnit." She cursed. Shuffling around the crates and boxes yielded little fruit, either, not even a crate big enough to break the door down with. Useless.

'_Useless.'_

Her breath caught.

There was a sharp click. Out of the corner of her eye -a crate of guns for export. One was missing.

"You can't kill me." She tried weakly.

"Oh? Do tell."

He was trying his hardest not to collapse from exhaustion, she could tell. And then again, her voice grew firmer. "You won't kill me." Turning to face him, she was slightly surprised to find him closer than first anticipated. His mere presence pressed her flat against the wall, though he was still a foot away at the very least. "I saved you. From the demolition team, and from the sand storm. I dragged you across the desert to shelter."

"And got me captured."

"And cut you free." Meryl supplied. "You…you owe me."

His gun lowered just barely, and she knew she had him then.

"I owe you nothing. It says more of your stupidity to help the enemy, then my graciousness to accept it."

"Even so…even so, I still helped you. I saved you. Will you kill me now, knowing that you'll forever be indebted?"

"Pathetic insect. You-" Knives recoiled slightly to cough into his hand. "Shut up-"

"And you'll always think of how I pulled you out of that collapsing house while you lay unconscious, knowing full well that if it wasn't for me-"

"Shut up!" He pressed the barrel of the gun tightly into her shoulder, digging into her old gun wound. He was satisfied when she cried out, unable to bite it back. He wasn't the only one who was unwell, it seemed.

"You know it's true…ah-" A wince. "You know-" But he seemed unmoving, silent, calculating with that cold stare.

"Very well." He withdrew the weapon, and her wide eyes flew up towards his narrowed ones.

What?

"I will grant you the right to exist. For now." The barest traces of a devious smile. "As it seems that I cannot let you die until such a disgusting debt has been repaid."

Then Knives stepped away, back turned to her, and she marveled. Had it been her words? Had she truly convinced him? Meryl studied his posture carefully -a tremble. The beginnings of a fever. She knew that it would have been best to bite her tongue, to accept what he had said and simply be on her way. She knew…but then again, logic wasn't one of the things that had gotten her into this situation in the first place.

"We should return to Vash as soon as possible. He should know how to help you."

He ignored her, raising a shaking arm at the door, taking aim.

"Knives!"

One shot, and the lock was taken clean off.

Was it a debt to be repaid? Was it mercy, weakness? Was it her own strength?

"Wh-" She sputtered.

He pushed the door open, turning down the hallway.

"Where are you going? Hey!"

Outside, the Sand Steamer plunged onward. Outside, Knives walked out on the deck, heading for the railing. Below them -an endless sea of sand.

"Where are you going? You can't -you need to come back…to Vash…" She tried, but failed to catch his attention. She slumped, exasperated. "Just what the hell do you plan to do now, huh?" No answer was expected, which was why she found herself surprised when he finally turned to her.

"I'm going…" His expression solid, eyes blinking back something unknown, something decidedly dark and impish; she felt herself caught in that gaze. Her wound pulsed.

"I'm going…to Canaan Land."

She was seized by the wrist, pulled, pulling with hands that were just as stubborn as hers, pulling until she was at the rail's edge beside him, overlooking the ground below. Her mouth went dry.

Oh no.

Oh hell no.

A plea -some feeble attempt at begging, even as his harsh grip left bruises on her skin. And then she felt her stomach being left behind as he leapt off the side of the steamer, dragging her with him. Eyes squinted shut.

A debt? In all honesty?

No, she knew the truth.

It was all just a game for someone else's amusement. And wasn't that just her luck.

;-

'_Open your eyes'._

_But I don't want to._

'_Don't be stubborn.'_

"Ah…" Meryl nursed a bruised ankle. That landing had been anything but graceful. But in a blink, it had been done -they had leapt from the apex of a rather large vessel, and somehow landed without much repercussion. Except now…

She looked over at him, sleeping fitfully on the sand while the sun beat down mercilessly. He was making himself out to be something of a god, she supposed, while he had obviously thought that he could make it out in the hot sun, sick with fever. It was clear now that this was no illness brought on by a gunshot wound. There must have been something else-

"Hey…" Meryl attempted. "Hey, are you…okay?"

He didn't dignify her with a response. Not that he really could, anyway.

_Leave him_, her mind screamed. _Leave him here to die. Do humanity a favor._

But then she took in her surroundings, out in the middle of a god-forsaken wasteland -where was she to even go now?

"If I left you, Vash would never forgive me." She snorted. "Besides, who's to say you wouldn't spring back with a full recovery after I left, then decidedly slaughter everyone on the planet? Then I certainly would be unable to forgive _myself_."

That earned her even less of a response. She sighed. Great, now what?

"Why did you spare me, anyways?"

His fingers twitched, but she didn't notice.

"Since when…does a mass murderer honor promises?" Her gaze was fixed blankly at the sky. "I'll have to keep a close eye on him, no doubt he's planning something. Maybe a way to get back at Vash…?" She looked back down at him.

Only to find him staring right back.

"Ah!" A screech as she tumbled backwards, quite unlady like. "Wha -how long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to be bothered by your noisy chatter." He groused, lifting himself up shakily.

"Hmph! Well if someone hadn't decided to jump off the god damn-"

"While your species may be weak, I am certainly not."

"Then why did you drag me with you!" She pulled at her hair in frustration. "You don't make any sense! You're insane!"

He smirked then, and let out a long laugh. It carried quite an air to it -hardly jolly, and rather crazed. She shuddered when he stepped closer. "I may have spared your life, but that doesn't mean I can't find some use for you…"

Close enough now, to where she could see the circles under his eyes from lack of rest, from weariness despite his big words. He was doing everything he could to speak without giving that weakness away.

"I…I'm not afraid of you-"

"Then why are you shivering?" He asked.

She frowned up at him. "Why are _you_?"

The amusement drained from his features, and he threw his hand out to cover her face. Her eyes widened.

"What-"

Meryl felt her body grow weak as something invaded her mind, forcefully, but somewhat flickering. Knives could barely keep himself steady.

"My illness is hindering me." He began. "You will share the burden, so that can make it to my destination in one piece. Sickness does, after all, befit the human race -and you are more stubborn than the rest. I'm sure it won't kill you." A flicker of that grin she had come to fear above all others. "At least not too quickly."

It was not a request, nor a suggestion, and while his audacity would have normally thrown the woman up in arms, she found herself so suddenly entranced. The way he could worm his way into her being, into her mind -even while he was sick with fever…it was amazing, and altogether too terrifying. But her admiration was short lived as she felt a new sensation suddenly thrust upon her, bubbling and fizzing in the pit of her stomach.

Faintly -another laugh, far away and indistinct, his cold blue eyes boring into her as they moved closer…

And then everything faded to black.

;-

**Continued**

;-

Eh? Review, yes?

I bought a new set of steak knives to celebrate this momentous occasion.

**foxmagic**


End file.
